Positive narrowing pharyngoplasty with forearm flap for functional restoration after extensive soft palate resection

The restoration of velopharyngeal function after extensive soft palate resection to treat malignant oropharyngeal tumors is a major challenge to reconstructive surgeons. The authors had previously reconstructed soft palatal defects routinely with the folded forearm flap. A patient who had more than half of the soft palate excised experienced postoperative velopharyngeal dysfunction. To restore efficient velopharyngeal function, pharyngoplasty was additively applied where the folded ridge of the forearm flap was sutured to the posterior pharyngeal wall in an inverse manner of the pharyngeal flap technique. The essence of the procedure was positive narrowing of the nasopharyngeal space. Five patients who underwent this pharyngoplasty and another five who did not were evaluated for postoperative functions of speech intelligibility and of nasal regurgitation during oral feeding. The velopharyngeal movements of all patients were examined under a nasopharyngeal endoscope. The evaluations demonstrated that this surgical procedure afforded satisfactory results. This positive narrowing pharyngoplasty technique is simple, easy, and minimally invasive to the remaining healthy tissue, and it is the method of choice for the reconstruction of the soft palate after malignant tumor resection.     

A new synbiotic, Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei together with dextran, reduces murine and human allergic reaction

We studied the development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice and the allergic symptoms and blood patterns of healthy volunteers during the cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen season in Japan following oral administration of a new synbiotic, Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei together with dextran. The combination of L. casei subsp. casei and dextran significantly decreased clinical skin severity scores and total immunoglobulin E levels in sera of NC/Nga mice that had developed picryl chloride-induced and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus crude extract-swabbed atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions. During the most common Japanese cedar pollen season, synbiotic L. casei subsp. casei and dextran in humans led to no significant changes in total nasal and ocular symptom scores, in the levels of cedar pollen-specific immunoglobulin E, interferon-gamma and thymus and activation regulated chemokine or in the number of eosinophils in sera, whereas the placebo group showed a tendency for increased levels of cedar pollen-specific immunoglobulin E, thymus and activation regulated chemokine and number of eosinophils, and a decrease in interferon-gamma levels. Thus, the oral administration of synbiotic L. casei subsp. casei together with dextran appears to be an effective supplement for the prevention and treatment of allergic reactions.     

Phosphatidylglucoside exists as a single molecular species with saturated fatty acyl chains in developing astroglial membranes

We previously found that phosphatidylglucoside (PtdGlc), a novel glycolipid expressed in HL60 cells, plays a role in forming signaling microdomains involved in cellular differentiation. Because cells contain minute levels of PtdGlc, pure PtdGlc is very difficult to isolate. Thus, its complete structure has never been assessed. To aid in analyzing PtdGlc, we generated a PtdGlc-specific monoclonal antibody, DIM21, by immunizing mice with detergent-insoluble membranes isolated from HL60 cells [Yamazaki, Y., et al. (2006) J. Immunol. Methods 311, 106-116]. DIM21 immunostaining of murine CNS tissues revealed stage- and cell type-specific localization of the DIM21 antigen during development, with especially high levels of expression in radial glia/astroglia. DIM21 immunostained cultured hippocampal astroglia in a punctate fashion. To characterize the structure of PtdGlc, we isolated DIM21 antigen from fetal brains. Using successive column chromatography, we purified two previously unrecognized glycolipids, PGX-1 and PGX-2, from embryonic day 21 rat brains. DIM21 reacted more strongly to PGX-2 than to PGX-1. Structural analyses with 600 MHz (1)H NMR, FT-ICR mass spectrometry, and GC revealed that PGX-1 is phosphatidyl beta-d-(6-O-acetyl)glucopyranoside and PGX-2 is phosphatidyl beta-d-glucopyranoside. The yields of PGX-1 and PGX-2 were approximately 250 +/- 150 and 440 +/- 270 nmol/g of dried brains, respectively. Surprisingly, both glycolipids were composed exclusively of C18:0 at the C1 position and C20:0 at the C2 position of the glycerol backbone. This saturated fatty acyl chain composition comprising a single molecular species rarely occurs in known mammalian lipids and provides a molecular basis for why PtdGlc resides in raftlike lipid microdomains.     

Visual inputs to the dorsocaudal fastigial nucleus of the cat cerebellum. An experimental study using single unit recordings and horseradish peroxidase labelling

Visual afferents to the cat fastigial nucleus (FN) have been studied with single unit recordings and horseradish peroxidase techniques. A total of 158 cells responding to electrical stimulation of the optic chiasm (OCh) were extracellularly recorded from the dorsocaudal part of the FN. They were classified into three groups: type-1 cells (48%) which showed early suppression and late facilitation; type-2 cells (38%) which showed early facilitation and late suppression; type-3 cells (14%) which exhibited long lasting suppression with no signs of facilitation. Eight of 32 cells tested showed the same response patterns to photic stimulation as to electrical stimulation of the OCh. None of the cells responding to electrical and photic stimulation, however, were found in the rostral and ventral parts of the FN. Furthermore, 29 cells which responded to electrical stimulation of the OCh were tested for responses to moving pattern stimulation. Seven (4 type-2 cells and 3 type-3 cells) of the 29 cells showed clear modulation, reflecting the velocity component of a horizontally moving pattern. However, none of 13 type-1 cells tested exhibited apparent modulation in relation to movement of the pattern. In order to trace the possible pathways mediating visual signals to this part of the FN, the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) method was used. Injection of HRP into the caudal FN resulted in the labelling of many cells, predominantly in the medial (M) and the descending (D) vestibular nuclei and in lobules VI and VII of the cerebellar vermis. A series of experiments further indicated the presence of possible pathways propagating visual signals to the caudal FN. The main routes are: 1) via the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT)--the dorsal part of the medullary reticular formation--the M and the D vestibular nuclei--to the FN, and 2) via the superior colliculus--the pontine nuclei--vermal lobules VI and VII--to the FN. The different physiological response patterns of FN cells may indicate that several types of visual signals involved with visually guided movements impinge upon the dorsocaudal FN.     

Does genomic variation in a foundation species predict arthropod community structure in a riparian forest?

Understanding how genetic variation within a foundation species determines the structure of associated communities and ecosystem processes has been an emerging frontier in ecology. Previous studies in common gardens identified close links between intraspecific variation and multispecies community structure, and these findings are now being evaluated directly in the complex natural ecosystem. In this study, we examined to what extent genomic variation in a foundation tree species explains the structure of associated arthropod communities in the field, comparing with spatial, temporal and environmental factors. In a continuous mixed forest, arthropods were surveyed on 85 mature alders (Alnus hirsuta) in 2 years. Moreover, we estimated Nei's genetic distance among the alders based on 1,077 single nucleotide polymorphisms obtained from restricted‐site‐associated DNA sequencing of the alders’ genome. In both years, we detected significant correlations between genetic distance and dissimilarity of arthropod communities. A generalized dissimilarity modelling indicated that the genetic distance of alder populations was the most important predictor to explain the variance of arthropod communities. Among arthropod functional groups, carnivores were consistently correlated with genetic distance of the foundation species in both years. Furthermore, the extent of year‐to‐year changes in arthropod communities was more similar between more genetically closed alder populations. This study demonstrates that the genetic similarity rule would be primarily prominent in community assembly of plant‐associated arthropods under temporally and spatially variable environments in the field.     

How ecology shapes exploitation: a framework to predict the behavioural response of human and animal foragers along exploration–exploitation trade‐offs

Understanding how humans and other animals behave in response to changes in their environments is vital for predicting population dynamics and the trajectory of coupled social‐ecological systems. Here, we present a novel framework for identifying emergent social behaviours in foragers (including humans engaged in fishing or hunting) in predator–prey contexts based on the exploration difficulty and exploitation potential of a renewable natural resource. A qualitative framework is introduced that predicts when foragers should behave territorially, search collectively, act independently or switch among these states. To validate it, we derived quantitative predictions from two models of different structure: a generic mathematical model, and a lattice‐based evolutionary model emphasising exploitation and exclusion costs. These models independently identified that the exploration difficulty and exploitation potential of the natural resource controls the social behaviour of resource exploiters. Our theoretical predictions were finally compared to a diverse set of empirical cases focusing on fisheries and aquatic organisms across a range of taxa, substantiating the framework's predictions. Understanding social behaviour for given social‐ecological characteristics has important implications, particularly for the design of governance structures and regulations to move exploited systems, such as fisheries, towards sustainability. Our framework provides concrete steps in this direction.     

Cloning of the Novel Gene Encoding β-Agarase C from a Marine Bacterium, Vibrio sp. Strain PO-303, and Characterization of the Gene Product

The β-agarase C gene (agaC) of a marine bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain PO-303, consisted of 1,437 bp encoding 478 amino acid residues. β-Agarase C was identified as the first β-agarase that cannot hydrolyze neoagarooctaose and smaller neoagarooligosaccharides and was assigned to a novel glycoside hydrolase family.